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There’s something behind your pain, your hurt and your struggle. And it’s not the devil.

Believe it or not, it’s something godly.

In Latin, it’s called imago Dei. In English, we call it the image of God.

“So God created human beings in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).

I know, that can be confusing. What does that even mean? Does it mean God’s looks? His voice? His physical form?

No, it’s nothing physical.

Being made in God’s image means read more…

There’s a fear many people carry when they suddenly (or consistently) face something bad, like a diagnosis, a loss or a financial setback.

What did I do wrong?

Sadly, you don’t have to look far to hear answers that only reinforce this. For one, really “religious” people have a reputation for being sin inspectors and pain diagnosers. 

I think of a friend who lost his mom to cancer as a teenager. Instead of comfort, he received read more…

The way you define a single word can determine whether you live in peace or not.

That word is success.

While writing my book Shut Up, Devil, I looked up the word success. Not in a modern dictionary, but in Webster’s 1828 edition.

Back then, success was defined as read more…

I once sat across from a lady who quietly admitted, “I didn’t choose this. It just happened to me. But I’m a Christian!”

And the moment she said it, I felt something in me soften, because I knew exactly what she meant.

There are battles that make no sense. Sickness, disabilities or “imperfections” that don’t match your theology, your prayers or the way you live. You search your heart for hidden sin. You rebuke the devil. You wonder if you just need more faith. But deep down, none of it fits.

Thinking of her—and myself—the truth is: read more…

When a relationship fails, an opportunity disappears, a symptom won’t relent or a struggle refuses to lift, a quiet but cruel thought sneaks in: “Maybe this is just who I am now.”

The apostle Paul knew this feeling well.

His days rarely looked like what someone “chosen by God” might imagine.

Prison cells were his writing desks. Shipwrecks, hunger, beatings and betrayals weren’t rare interruptions; they were his norm. He lived with a persistent weakness he begged God to remove.

We know these stories because Paul wasn’t afraid that sharing them would somehow discredit him.

Still, look at his letters. Before he ever detailed a single problem, he opened with something like: read more…

It’s been one of those weeks where everything that could go wrong… did.

Technical issues piled up every single day. And then on Thursday, right as I went live, everything crashed. Just shut down. No warning. No explanation.

I’ll be honest: there was a time when a week like this would’ve had me throwing up my hands and giving up.

Maybe you’ve felt that way too. Maybe you’re feeling it today.

That’s actually why, in the middle of all the frustration, I pulled out my phone and recorded a quick 40‑second encouragement.

Just something real, raw and honest about what helps me when disappointments start stacking on top of each other.

read more…

Sometimes nothing feels more right than quitting.

When energy is gone, motivation is low and everything feels heavier than it should, walking away can seem like wisdom.

“Maybe this is God telling me to stop.”

I’ve thought that more times than I can count.

But I’ve learned the hard way that read more…

When we want to do better, we often make more rules.

We tell ourselves what to stop doing.

Don’t eat that.
Don’t say that.
Don’t mess up again.

At first, this feels helpful. We may behave better for a little while. But soon, something strange happens. read more…

“What more do I have to do?”

Ever asked that? I sure have.

For years, it was my go-to question whenever life didn’t look like the promises I read in Scripture.

Peace? Joy? Victory? Eventually, they felt more like marketing slogans than reality.

So I tried harder with more prayer, fasting, serving. If there was a spiritual hoop, I jumped through it.

Yet after a decade of doing all the “right things,” I was exhausted, not victorious. Worse, I feared something was wrong with me.

Was my faith broken? Had I let God down?

If you’ve been there, you know the misery. You wonder if God is holding back His blessings until you prove yourself worthy.

But here’s the truth: read more…

Christmas is called “the most wonderful time of the year.”

But for many, it feels like the most painful.

The lights and laughter only highlight what’s missing: the marriage that never happened, the loved one who’s gone, the dreams that didn’t come true.

Maybe life looks nothing like you planned.

If that’s you, read more…